US Congress urges UN to take measures against Hezbollah

In a letter sent to the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, US Congress urged him to begin mobilising international support for taking measures against Hezbollah.

Some 240 Congress members have signed the letter, calling for limiting Hezbollah’s “terror” activities against Israel.

The letter advocated that Guterres should “lead an international effort to limit Hezbollah’s capabilities and to avoid the devastating but avoidable outcome of which you have previously warned.”

It added “we bear significant civilian costs in Lebanon if Israel must act to defend its citizens because Hezbollah has positioned its massive arsenal in civilian areas, turning much of Lebanon’s population into human shields.

“Hezbollah will bear the responsibility for that, as will the Government of Lebanon and the international community.”

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The Jewish Telegraphic Agency published the letter on Friday, stating that the democratic representatives Elaine Luria of Virginia, Haley Stevens of Michigan, Republicans Lee Zeldin of New York and Michael Waltz of Florida, spearheaded the letter.

It also noted that Luria and Zeldin are Jewish.

The letter references the US Security Council Resolution 1701 passed after the 2006 Lebanon War, which called for the Lebanese government to exercise its sovereignty throughout the country and disarm Hezbollah.

The resolution also called for increasing the size and mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).